Anyone that reads this and has advice, please review. I can ALWAYS use advice.
H/H FOREVER!
Bye!
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'Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald,
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling,
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.'
The song finished with Fred and George singing to the tune of a funeral march.
' And now to bed. Off you all go!' Dumbledore said.
The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the crowd of students, out into the entrance hall and up one of the sets of stairs. Harry's legs felt like lead, he was so tired. He thought that if he fell down he'd probably fall asleep on the floor and the others would have to carry him to his room. Later Harry would hardly be able to remember how he made it too the common room on his own two feet, but he did make it in the end. One moment he was walking up the stairs from the entrance hall and the next moment he was waiting outside the hole that lead into the Gryffindor chambers and he couldn't remember anything in between.
' Come on Harry. Lets go. I'm asleep on my feet here and you don't look much better.' Ron mumbled rubbing his eyes.
Ron was behind Harry and was waiting for him to go through the hole into the common room. Harry climbed through and was directed, by Percy, up a spiral staircase on the left of the common room. The Gryffindor chambers were obviously in one of the towers; Ron and Harry's room was at the very top of the stair case, which had doors leading off into other bed rooms every few yards (metres) or so.
Ron and Harry were both so tired that it was all they could do to change and crawl under the covers of their beds. As exhausted as Harry was, he found himself tossing, turning and generally unable to sleep.
After an hour or so Harry gave up and crept down into the common room with his transfiguration and potions textbooks. He had heard Hermione and Percy talking, during the feast, about how hard Prof. Snape was on any non-Slytherin student and how hard transfiguration was in general. Harry figured that if he couldn't sleep, then he might as well read up on his subjects so that he might avoid looking stupid in front of his housemates.
Harry had been reviewing his magical herbs and their uses when he heard someone coming down the girls' staircase. He figured that it must be Hermione coming to study just as Harry himself was, so he crouched behind the large armchair that he had been sitting in. He just didn't want to talk to someone who, although she might be able to help him study, would almost definitely act very condescending and superior.
Harry was just trying to figure out a way to get back to his staircase without being seen when the girl who had been making the noise stepped into view.
It wasn't Hermione after all! It was some girl whose name Harry couldn't remember. Why was I SO sure it was Hermione then? Harry thought to himself. It must just be because I was thinking about her while I was studying.
Harry was about to stand up and say hello, when he remembered that most people didn't hide behind chairs in the middle of the night and if he jumped up and said 'Hi!' it would probably scare the girl.
Harry waited until the girl's back was turned and then stood up and stepped from behind the chair.
' Hello?' he asked softly.
Even though Harry hadn't jumped up from behind a chair and hadn't shouted "Boo!" the girl let out a short scream, which she quickly stifled.
' Great wizards you scared me! Don't you make any NOISE?' the girl asked breathing hard and holding her hand over her chest. She kept looking from Harry to the staircase for the boys' rooms, obviously wondering how Harry had gotten across the room without her seeing him. ' What are you doing down here at this time of night anyway?'
' Ummm, sorry. I just couldn't sleep so I figured that I might as well read up on my potions.' Harry whispered.
The girl stared at him as if he had two heads. ' Why, in the name of Merlin, would anyone be studying on the day BEFORE school starts?'
' I've got double potions with Prof. Snape tomorrow. At least I do according to George... or was it Fred?'
' Uh-huh? Well in that case I'm willing to bet you don't have potions tomorrow at all. So you know the twins huh?'
' Uhh yeah. You to?'
The girl nodded. ' Yep. Known 'em for a couple years now.'
' They're kinda crazy aren't they?' Harry asked with a grin that shone in the dark.
' Heh heh. Yeah, they are.' the girl answered, looking distracted.
' Hello? You still here?' Harry asked, walking over to wave his hand in front of the girl's face. From this close Harry could tell that she was a year or two ahead of him.
' Huh? Oh yeah, sorry.' the girl blushed. ' I'm Katie by the way.' she said holding out her hand. 'Katie Bell. You're a first year right? What's your name?'
Harry smiled and took her hand. ' I'm Harry. Nice to meet you, Katie.' Instead of shaking her hand though, he bowed and kissed it, grinning in a self-mocking way.
Katie shook her head and smiled with silent laughter. ' Well, Mr. Harry, Do you happen to have a last name?'
' Potter.' Harry said grimly. He was hoping that she wouldn't react like all the people at the Leaky Cauldron had; he was getting sick of it really. He was, apparently, famous for doing something that he couldn't even remember.
For a moment Katie just looked at him sceptically. After a moment though her eyes began to slowly grow wider. ' Oh. My. Gosh. You're not kidding?' She finally said.
Not liking the way this was going, Harry rolled his eyes and started to explain. 'Look, I really hope you're not going to start going all goofy on me now like most people have been lately.'
Katie's expression changed right away from awe to indignity. Harry had read her right. He thought that saying that might get a reaction.
' And what is that supposed to mean?' she asked with one eyebrow raised.
Harry smiled and began to explain. They sat down across from each other in the large, comfy armchairs.
When the clock in the common room rang one o'clock Katie stopped their talk.
'...so wherever I go, people already know me and just act crazy. It's really awkward and is getting annoying.'
' Wish I had your problem. People asking to give you their products for free. Huh! Some annoyance THAT is! Anywho, I gotta go now, but it's been nice talking to ya, Harry. I'll see ya tomorrow.' she said before leaving through the portrait hole.
Harry smiled. He wasn't positive, but he thought that maybe her destination had something to do with the note he had seen one of the twins slip her at the feast. The smile turned into a grin as he remembered the eating contest he had lost. His stomach hurt like anything now but it was a reminder of one of the happiest moments in Harry's life. He hoped to make many more happy memories here at Hogwarts.
Harry's grin turned into a yawn before he could pursue that train of thought though and he headed up to his room again.
When he got there, Harry realized that nothing had changed. He had been exhausted before and hadn't been able to sleep then either. It took a moment's thought, but eventually he figured out what was the problem, and after that he fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
Neville was the first to wake the next morning, and the first thing he did once he was out of bed, was to trip over Harry. He made quite a thump when he fell and it woke the other three boys.
' Harry?' Ron groaned sleepily. ' What're you doing on the floor? Fall out of bed?'
' No, no. I just slept on the floor is all.' Harry answered as he sat up, as if this were a completely natural thing to do.
' Why would you want to sleep on the floor?' Seamus asked.
He had gotten used to the fact, the night before, that the "the-boy-who-lived" was not really THAT different from most people, and hated to be treated as if he were.
' Well my bed was just too soft.' Harry said, blushing.
The other boys just looked at him as though he were crazy as Neville picked himself up off the floor.
' Whatever you say Harry.' Seamus finally said and got out of bed to get ready for their first day of classes. He and Neville went to the boys' bathroom to shower and change.
Ron, on the other hand, wanted to know the rest of the story.
' What do you mean it's too SOFT?' he demanded. ' That would only make it MORE comfortable, wouldn't it?'
' You'd think so, but after sleeping in a closet on a collapsible cot for so long, the bed it just... well I guess it's TOO comfortable. I couldn't get to sleep.'
' Only you, Harry, Only you.' Ron muttered shaking his head.
Ron actually thought that Harry was joking about sleeping in a cupboard since Harry hadn't told anyone about his life at the Dursleys. If he had Ron might have flipped so Harry figured he had plenty of good reasons not to tell anyone about the Dursleys. In fact, as Harry learned more about how a "normal family" functioned, like the Weasleys, he became more and more embarrassed for living with the Dursleys.
' We'd better get going now if we don't want to miss breakfast.' Harry said, searching through his trunk for his robes.
Ron had laid back down for a few more minutes' sleep, but when Harry mentioned missing breakfast he popped out of bed and zoomed around the room collecting his books for classes and getting dressed in his robes. He ended up having to wait for Harry, who had stopped getting ready to watch Ron set a new time record for getting ready for school; Harry was currently unable to get up off the floor due to waves of laughter which only increased with Ron's annoyed glare.
Eventually the boys arrived at the Great Hall. The Gryffindor table was packed with students laughing and joking with their friends as they ate breakfast. Ron spotted his brothers and headed over.
' Jeez! Is it always this crazy?' He asked Fred.
' Naw. It's just that this is the first day.' George answered.
' People don't want to annoy their Professors on the first day.' Fred continued.
' It's usually like this.'
' For the first week.'
' Or two.'
Harry just stared at the twins for a moment then burst out laughing.
' Oh man!' Harry said trying to catch his breath. ' Did you two rehearse that or something?'
' They always talk like that, Harry. You'll get used to it.' Ron explained.
' Oi! Fred, George. Hey Harry!' said a girl walking up behind Harry and Ron. ' Sleep well?'
' Huh?' Harry turned to face the newcomer. ' Oh! Hi Katie! Yeah I did thanks.'
' What're you talking about Harry? You slept on the floor! How could you have possibly "slept well"? 'Ron demanded.
The rest of the group gave Harry odd looks.
' Well I guess I'm just used to it.' Harry mumbled self-consciously.
The others looked like they were about to say more, but Harry was saved from interrogation by Percy, who had come around the table handing out timetables to the first years. He handed Ron and Harry theirs without so much as a nod to each of them. He was looking rather harassed, and his eyes were red and bloodshot.
' What's up with him?' Ron asked.
' Oh he's like that every year on the first day.' George explained.
' We think he stays up all night reviewing all the rules or something.' Fred said.
' Just in case they've added some new ones during the summer.'
' So what have you guys got?' Fred asked Harry and Ron.
' Wait a minute. I thought you knew.' Harry demanded.
Fred and George looked at each other for a moment then burst out laughing in perfect unison.
' One of you told me last night that I had potions with Prof. Snape today!'
' And YOU believed me!' Fred gasped between gales of laughter.
' One thing you need to learn, even before classes start, is to never trust anything my brothers tell you. EVER!' Ron told Harry.
The twins had stopped laughing in time to hear this and became quite indignant.
' That's not true!' started George.
' There are SOME things...'
' We'd NEVER lie about.'
' Yeah! You'll NEVER hear us saying...'
' How wonderful Snape is or...'
' How modest Percy is!'
Harry and Ron just shook their heads and turned away to look for an open seat. As they were about to leave though, Katie called them back.
' Where are you going? Have you already had breakfast?' she asked.
' No, we were just going to go find an open spot.' Ron answered.
' Why don't you sit here with us?' Katie said as another girl came up. ' You just have to know how to MAKE some space. Right Alicia?'
She then turned back to Fred and George and, shoving them aside, sat down between them.
Then Alicia did the same.
Harry had expected people to be shoved off the ends when they sat down but apparently the benches were enchanted to accommodate extra students like this, so he and Ron sat down to the best breakfast Harry had eaten in a long time. Even Tom's scrambled ??? eggs and bugbear bacon weren't THIS good (Harry had never got up the nerve to ask what KIND of eggs Tom had used, but they had been an odd shade of orange).
When Harry was about half done his breakfast, the windows at one end of the Great Hall opened by themselves and a loud rush of wings could be heard approaching. Then there was a cloud of feathers and wings and beaks as all of the students' owls tried to deliver their owners' mail at the same time. Owls were buzzing down all the tables trying to find their owners and landed on the table when they did find the right student.
Unfortunately the tables were already crowded with breakfast dishes and no one had told the first years to prepare for this. Consequently several students were forced to go back to their common rooms to change after spilling pumpkin juice on their robes.
Harry saw Hedwig come through the windows last, and she didn't waste time flying around the hall but flew straight to him; almost like she had known EXACTLY where Harry was.
Hedwig didn't have anything for Harry, but had, seemingly, come just to say hello to him. Hedwig stayed long enough to have some of Harry's toast then left with the other owls.
' Wow, Harry. You're lucky to have an owl like that.' Ron said, looking rather envious. ' What kind was it?'
' Ummmm... I can't remember exactly, but I think that Hagrid said it was a Tus-ook-oh owl... or at least it sounded like that. I tried to look it up in 'Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them', but I didn't find anything.'
' I wish I had my own owl as well.' Ron said with a look of longing.
' Then use mine when you need one.' Harry told him. ' It's not like there's anyone outside of this school that would be owling me, or that I'd need to send an owl to.'
' Really, Harry?! Wow, thanks!'
Harry stabbed the last piece of sausage with his fork, put it in his mouth and bit down... on air! He blinked and looked at his empty hand and then at the rest of the table. All of the food, dishes and utensils had disappeared. Breakfast, apparently, was over.
The first lesson for the Gryffindor first years was herbology, which was held outside in the school's greenhouses. For this class their teacher was Prof. Sprout who told them that "...although the majority of herbs wizards use are magical, there are many potent, but non-magical, herbs that are extremely powerful." She warned them not to think something was safe to handle just because it had no natural magical properties. She used the example of garlic and vampires. Garlic has no magical properties but it will cause terrible allergic reactions in vampires because something about its aroma interferes with a vampire's willpower.
Harry and Ron quickly learned the reason for the long time in between classes. The castle had one hundred forty two staircases, not all of which always led to the same place. Then there were the doors that had to be asked NICELY, or tickled in the right place, before they would open. Some doors weren't even doors, in fact, and were just parts of the wall that felt like pretending to be a door.
Ron and Harry took to following Fred and George around whenever they were going to the same place, and Harry found their directions to be of great help, when he could tell which ones wouldn't end up with him and Ron walking into a girls' lavatory. After a few days of following Fred and George around the school Ron and Harry had learned enough of the secret passages and false stairways to be able to find their way to their classes on their own, and much faster than the other first years, except for Hermione.
Hermione always seemed to be the first to get to each class, and was usually sitting at the front of the class, when Ron and Harry arrived, with her nose in the textbook for that class. She was also always the first to raise her hand when a Prof. asked a question, even if the question was directed at a particular student.
To Harry's infinite relief, many students had come from muggle families and so he wouldn't have been at a disadvantage and besides that, there was simply so much to learn that even kids from wizarding families didn't have much of an advantage. After having read all of the course books once or twice in Diagon Alley Harry actually had an advantage, even over those students that came from magical families. Harry had always been able to remember whatever he read, so now all he had to do was learn how it applied to the tasks the Profs gave them instead of having to learn it and THEN apply it. Hermione though, seemed to always be a chapter or two ahead of the class in the textbook and had no trouble at all applying the theory to problems.
The first week was one that Harry knew he would never forget; if he lived to forget everything else, even his own self, he would never forget the happy memories he made and the friends he met that week. Nor would he forget the possible enemies that he also made. The only other time Harry had been near as happy for more than a day was while he had been staying at the Leaky Cauldron.
Charms class had been slightly embarrassing on the first day as the tiny Prof. Flitwick, (who had to stand on several thick books or on his chair in order to be seen behind his desk) had fallen over when he called out "Potter, Harry" while taking attendance, and everyone had turned to stare at Harry when he answered that he was present. Other than the initial embarrassment the class was quite enjoyable, and Harry found that he was rather good at the work. After Ron got a little help from Harry, the two were able to match Hermione in the class, which was a rather considerable feat. Of course it was mostly because Prof. Flitwick assigned very little in the way of written homework, which was what Hermione did best at and Ron and Harry often didn't do it at all until the last minute.
Transfiguration served to shatter many muggleborns' ideas about magic with the exception of Harry. Harry had always enjoyed things like science at school and liked to know how things worked. Most muggleborns had the initial stereotype that magic was just waving your wand and saying things in Latin or other obscure languages; whereas, magic was actually much more complex than that, as Prof. McGonagall demonstrated in the first class.
' Transfiguration is possibly some of the most dangerous magic that you will be learning at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back.' McGonagall said giving the class a stern look. When no one made any move to leave and she decided they had taken her warning seriously enough she turned to her desk and changed it into a pig and then back.
After the display the students were eager to start, but they quickly learned that they wouldn't be doing anything so spectacular anytime soon. They took long, complicated notes on things like the best way to grip your wand to do transfiguration and how different materials reacted to being transfigured. After all that they were told to form groups of two and to collect a few matches from McGonagall's desk for each group. They were then to attempt to turn them into silver needles (apparently silver was easy to transfigure things into if they had once been alive but were now dead, like the wood in the matches).
' Do not be disappointed if you can't make any difference in your matches for today. The exercise is meant to accustom you to the different grips on your wand and so you will learn the feel of magic. Normally we hold our magic in naturally, the same as we breathe without thinking about it. Now you must learn how to release that hold. Once you know how you feel when you are holding your magic ready, it will be easier to use.' Prof. McGonagall lectured them as they practiced. ' I will be very impressed indeed if anyone is able to make any difference toda-'
McGonagall was cut off by a triumphant "Ha!" from Hermione, who had managed to turn her match hard and slightly grey.
Prof. McGonagall went over to examine Hermione's success, and showed it to the class, saying how Hermione had the right idea and that anyone that was having trouble should ask Hermione for help if McGonagall herself was busy.
Ron glared at the back of Hermione's head and Harry rolled his eyes, both at Ron and at Hermione's annoyingly smug look.
Harry thought he knew exactly the feeling that McGonagall had been talking about. He had sometimes felt an odd, but entirely pleasant sensation, while meditating. He was only able to get that feeling when he was very deep in his meditation and then only if there were no distractions.
He gripped his wand and tried to call the same feeling to mind. Almost immediately he felt it. It wasn't as strong as when he was meditating and there was some intangible difference to the feeling, but he knew that it was the right feeling.
Harry thought carefully and made sure he remembered the feeling so he could call it up again for other classes. Then, while Ron was still busy glaring at Hermione and mumbling something about know-it-all teacher's pets, Harry pointed at the match and whispered "Spine ona permutatia."
For a moment nothing happened, then the match quivered and began to stretch. As one end started to mold itself into the eye of a needle the whole match was suddenly pure silver. Harry watched in amazement as the match finished changing. Its point was a little dull but the match was now a silver needle in every other way.
Harry was about to call out his success before he remembered Ron's reaction to Hermione's achievement. Harry didn't want Ron to look at him the way he was looking at Hermione, and if people already thought he was a great wizard for doing whatever he had to Voldemort then they weren't likely to dismiss this very easily. He would probably just attract more unwanted attention.
He wanted to perform the reversal spell, which McGonagall had also told them to learn but his mind was in too much turmoil, so instead he pocketed the match/needle. Just in time to, as Ron had just finished glaring at Hermione and turned back to the match.
' Huh? What'd you do with our match Harry?' he asked.
' Ummm... I think-' Harry began but was saved from having to say more by McGonagall calling out their homework and then dismissing them for lunch.
The first years all had each subject for no less than two lessons each week and by the time the second lesson came about most people, even Neville, were able to make the matches the right colour and shape. By then, though, Harry had already mastered it, as well as Hermione. Hermione was told to wait for someone to need help and then to give it to them since there was nothing else left for her to do. Harry on the other hand, once he realized he had the task mastered, had started trying out some ideas he got from the books.
Instead of just turning the match into a silver needle, he tried changing it from one type of metal to another. Anyone that noticed just thought that he hadn't quite gotten it right yet; they didn't realize that when they saw him get the wrong result he was actually doing something more difficult.
Most of the lessons went like this, with Harry learning what was taught quickly but hiding it until the others mastered it, then discreetly trying harder variations on the lesson.
By the end of their first week at Hogwarts, Ron and Harry were becoming familiar with the castle and it's daily routines. Harry was happier sitting in the common room with Ron, doing homework, than he had ever been anywhere else but the dojo. However, they still hadn't had a potions lesson and it was Friday. They were scheduled for double potions with Snape and the Slytherins.
Harry was not looking forward to the lesson. During the feast on the first night Harry had noticed Snape giving him odd, almost hateful looks, and had been doing so every time the two passed in the halls. Harry took little note of this as the Dursleys had always given him such looks; Harry might not have recognized the Dursleys if they ever stopped sneering or glaring at him.
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AN- Review with criticism and anything else please!
H/H FOREVER!
Bye!